The biological conversion of plant lignocellulose plays an essential role not only in carboncycling in terrestrial ecosystems but also is an important part of the production ofsecond generation biofuels and biochemicals. The presence of the recalcitrant aromaticpolymer lignin is one of the major obstacles in the biofuel/biochemical production processand therefore microbial degradation of lignin is receiving a great deal of attention.Fungi are the main degraders of plant biomass, and in particular the basidiomycetewhite rot fungi are of major importance in converting plant aromatics due to their abilityto degrade lignin. However, the aromatic monomers that are released from ligninand other aromatic compounds of plant biomass are toxic for most fungi already atlow levels, and therefore conversion of these compounds to less toxic metabolites isessential for fungi. Although the release of aromatic compounds from plant biomassby fungi has been studied extensively, relatively little attention has been given tothe metabolic pathways that convert the resulting aromatic monomers. In this reviewwe provide an overview of the aromatic components of plant biomass, and theirrelease and conversion by fungi. Finally, we will summarize the applications of fungalsystems related to plant aromatics.